Handwriting Paper
Writing paper with a top line, a dashed midline and a baseline, and space below each row for descenders. Choose the writing height, the descender space and the midline style, add a name-and-date header or a drawing box, and print it true to scale.
Preview and download
Scaled-down preview; the printout is full size. Dashed lines show the margins and don’t print.
Print at 100% or Actual size, not “Fit to page”. Then check the ruler at the foot of the sheet: it should measure exactly 4 in.
- Sheet
- Letter, 8.5 × 11 in, portrait
- Pattern
- 13 writing rows
- Ruler
- 4 in, in the bottom margin
- 1 page, vector, no watermark
Paper
Writing lines
Lines and colour
Margins
From each paper edge to the pattern. Most printers can’t print the outer 0.2 in or so of a sheet.
Header and mixed pages
Pages and printing
How to make handwriting paper
- Choose the writing height. The distance from the top line down to the baseline. Tap a preset from 1 in down to 3/8 in, or 20 mm down to 8 mm, or type the size your school uses. The midline sits halfway.
- Set the descender space. The presets make it half the writing height, as school paper does.
- Style the lines. Dashed, dotted or no midline; a heavier or coloured baseline (a red baseline, as on many school papers, is one click under Baseline colour).
- Fit the page to the child. Landscape for big letters, a Name and Date header for worksheets, or a blank box above the rows for story paper. Print up to 50 copies in one PDF.
Sizes by age
Paper sold for school handwriting programmes is ruled by grade, and the rows shrink as children's control improves. Typical examples: a 3/4 in writing space with a 3/8 in midline and skip space for kindergarten (some pre-K and kindergarten paper is 1 1/8 in); 1/2 in with 1/4 in for grade 2; and 3/8 in with 3/16 in for grades 3 and 4. In all of them the midline is halfway and the skip space below is half the writing height, the same proportions as the presets here. If your school follows a particular programme, its own paper is the reference.
| Writing height | Midline below top | Descender space | Row to row | Rows, portrait | Rows, landscape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in (Letter) | 1/2 in | 1/2 in | 1 1/2 in | 7 | 5 |
| 3/4 in (Letter) | 3/8 in | 3/8 in | 1 1/8 in | 9 | 7 |
| 5/8 in (Letter) | 5/16 in | 5/16 in | 15/16 in | 11 | 8 |
| 1/2 in (Letter) | 1/4 in | 1/4 in | 3/4 in | 13 | 10 |
| 3/8 in (Letter) | 3/16 in | 3/16 in | 9/16 in | 18 | 13 |
| 20 mm (A4) | 10 mm | 10 mm | 30 mm | 9 | 6 |
| 15 mm (A4) | 7.5 mm | 7.5 mm | 22.5 mm | 12 | 8 |
| 12 mm (A4) | 6 mm | 6 mm | 18 mm | 15 | 10 |
| 10 mm (A4) | 5 mm | 5 mm | 15 mm | 18 | 12 |
| 8 mm (A4) | 4 mm | 4 mm | 12 mm | 22 | 15 |
Rows with the starting margins (1/2 in on Letter, 10 mm on A4), worked out by the generator.
The metric sizes suit A4 schools; UK primary paper, for example, is sometimes ruled at 15 mm. For older students and adults practising print or cursive, 3/8 in or 8 to 10 mm rows work well; for everyday writing without a midline, use lined paper.
Using the lines to teach letter formation
- Three letter heights. Tall letters (b, d, f, h, k, l) and capitals fill the space from the top line to the baseline. Short letters (a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z) fill the lower half, from the midline down. Letters with tails (g, j, p, q, y) sit on the baseline and drop into the descender space.
- Starting points. Most letters start at the top line or the midline and are formed top to bottom; a dot at each starting point on a model row helps beginners.
- Spacing. A finger's width between words and a consistent small gap between letters; the rows' length shows children how much fits before they need to start a new line.
- Stepping down. Move to a smaller writing height when letters consistently reach the guide lines without overshooting.
Printing class sets
Set the number of pages and download one PDF for the whole class, with a Name line on every page. Print at Actual size if the rows need to match a published programme's paper exactly, and check the ruler at the foot of the sheet; the printing guide covers the settings. For lined notebook-style paper without a midline, use the lined paper generator.
Frequently asked questions
What size handwriting paper is right for kindergarten?
Large. Kindergarten paper sold for school handwriting programmes commonly has a writing space of 3/4 in, and some pre-K and kindergarten paper goes up to 1 1/8 in. Second-grade paper is commonly 1/2 in, and paper for grades 3 and 4 is 3/8 in. If the school follows a particular programme, match its paper; otherwise start large and step down as letters become controlled and even.
What do the lines on handwriting paper mean?
The top line (or headline) is where tall letters such as b, d, h, k and l and capital letters start. The dashed midline marks the top of short letters such as a, c, e, m, n and o, and the shoulder of h. The baseline, drawn heavier, is where every letter sits. The gap below it is for the tails of g, j, p, q and y.
What is the descender space or skip space?
The gap between one row's baseline and the next row's top line. It gives tails room to drop without running into the next row, and keeps rows visually separate. Paper sold for schools usually makes it half the writing height, which is what every preset here does; set it larger for writers whose letters wander, or to 0 for rows that touch.
Should the midline be dashed or dotted?
Either works; what matters is that it looks lighter than the solid top line and baseline, so children read it as a guide rather than a line to sit letters on. Both are common on school paper. Choose None for two-line paper with only a top line and baseline, for older writers who no longer need the guide.
Portrait or landscape?
School paper for the youngest writers is often ruled "the long way", with the rows running along the long side of the sheet. That is landscape here: fewer, longer rows (7 rows of 3/4 in on Letter, against 9 in portrait), which suits large letters and short words. Portrait fits more rows for copying sentences.
Can I make story paper with a box for a picture?
Yes. Under Layout, choose two parts, top and bottom, set the second part to Blank space, and set Order to "Handwriting paper at the bottom" so the box is at the top. With 3/4 in rows and the box taking half the page, a Letter sheet holds 4 rows under the picture. Turn on the border to draw a frame around the box.